Telegraph Media Group has condemned the National Union of Journalists' decision to ballot union members working at its titles and website on possible strike action over new working conditions and the axing of casual editorial staff.

The company issued a statement last night in response to the NUJ's formal confirmation of its intention to ballot members at TMG's Daily Telegraph, Sunday Telegraph and Telegraph.co.uk titles on strike action.

"It is highly regrettable - and frankly astonishing - that the NUJ is balloting for strike action at a time when the Telegraph is creating 40 new jobs for journalists, even in the middle of a serious economic downturn," said the TMG statement.

"Of course we are making essential changes to our business as well, as all media organisations are, and are simply asking some production journalists to work a five-day week like their colleagues. We recognise that this will impact on some people and we're making a significant payment of £3,000 to all those affected," the company added.

"We've made extensive efforts to communicate with all our staff, as well as with the NUJ. We'll continue to do so."

Part of the publisher's plan to change working practice across its titles includes creating 40 editorial jobs in place of the casuals.

A leaked letter from TMG management to casual staff, seen by MediaGuardian.co.uk, last week revealed that this would include about 18 "content editors", who were defined as "multiskilled journalists who are able to do everything from write to commission to edit to produce both online and print".

TMG is also planning to appoint six new reporters, seven "new world" jobs, where appointees will be experts in "data and mapping", a "digital technologist" and five part-time production journalists.

However, the decision to change the working conditions of some and dispose of all causal staff came under fire after it was announced last month.

Formal confirmation that the union had served notice on TMG of its intention to ballot members came yesterday.

The NUJ accused TMG of treating staff with "a shocking level of contempt" that had left its journalists "furious" with management.

It claimed the planned ballot followed a number of changes proposed by TMG, including the proposal to lay off casual staff, along with changes to night-shift patterns that would see journalists work an extra shift every fortnight, cutting the holiday entitlement of new starters.

The NUJ also claimed TMG was refusing to honour an existing agreement on work-life balance.

The NUJ national newspapers organiser, Barry Fitzpatrick, said: "Our members regret that they have been forced into this action by a company that is refusing to negotiate on matters that were already agreed under existing terms and conditions.

"Bosses at the Telegraph are treating their staff with a shocking level of contempt. They seem to think they can simply ignore their workers' employment rights and conceal this exploitation with the announcement of new jobs that will make scant difference to overall staffing levels.

"On top of all this, they are demanding staff work extra hours without any proper consultation or improvement on their consolidated pay and are creating a two-tier workforce by offering new joiners inferior conditions. No wonder journalists have had enough.

"Sadly, this disregard for our members' loyalty and hard work seems to be a culture that has dominated the newsroom since the Barclay brothers bought the papers."

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